Siau And Ingham Win U.S. Youth Multihull Championship
Before Hurricane Katrina Arrives

Panama City, Fla. (August 29, 2005) - It was a tight squeeze for the race organizers and competitors of the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship this weekend in Panama City, Fla. With Hurricane Katrina approaching, organizers and host club St. Andrew Bay Yacht Club decided to fit in as many races as possible on Friday and Saturday, canceling races on Sunday, what otherwise would have been the final day. For Michael Siau (Manlius, N.Y.) and Sam Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.) it wasn't as much of a tight squeeze: the two came out with a bang on the first day, winning all six races. With those results, the team had practically secured the Championship title and the battle went on for second and third place. After four additional races on Saturday, local sailors Evan Miller (Panama City, Fla.) and Kyler Hast (Lynn Haven, Fla.) took second overall, with Cameron Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) and Pike Harris (Coronado, Calif.) finishing third.

With their new National Championship title, Michael Siau and Sam Ingham received US SAILING’s Arthur J. Stevens Trophy. The U.S. Youth Multihull Championship is a qualifier for the 2006 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Sailing Championships, an event open to athletes who do not turn 19 in the year of the World Championship. Because winning skipper Siau will be too old next year to compete in that event, the next eligible team will qualify, which is Evan Miller and Kyler Hast who finished second in the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship. The 2006 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Sailing Championships will be held in Weymouth, England.

For complete results, daily reports and photos from the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, please visit the event’s website at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/multihull. Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) won the Darline Hobock Sportsmanship Award for demonstrating pure sportsmanship behavior throughout the Championship.

The event is part of US SAILING’s National Championship series. For more information on the series, please contact Liz Walker, US SAILING’s Championships Manager, via e-mail at championships@ussailing.org or visit www.ussailing.org/championships.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization's mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.  

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